Ryah attends Mather Elementary School, the first public elementary school founded in North America.  Sherman and I "competed" in the public school lottery and we think that we won--Ryah attends a remarkable school.  It's lead by an incredible principal.  Ryah's kindergarten teacher is a creative, dedicated person.  Her classmates are bright, eager learners--not to mention completely adorable.  Every day, Ryah skips into school in the morning and comes home in the afternoon full of new ideas.
 

As a Mather Classroom Champion I am dedicated to help raise funds for Ryah's class, Emily McLaughlin's kindergarden.  Your gift to the Mather will be used, in part, directly in Ryah's class.  Ms. McLaughlin, plans to teach literacy and science through a hands-on cooking unit.  Your funds will bring ingredients into the classroom.  The rest of the gift helps fund Playworks, public/private partnership that brings a trained "coach" to the school to help with conflict resolution and cooperative play. Coach Shawn is an incredible daily presence on the playground and before, during and after school.

America’s first elementary school

The Mather Elementary School, is the first public elementary school in North America. It is located in the historic Meeting House Hill neighborhood of Dorchester, in Boston, Massachusetts.

The school serves a highly diverse population of 630 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5:

• 98% are children of color.
• 85% are from low-income homes.
• 50% speak a first language other than English.
• 15% receive special education services.
• 100% dream of achieving great things. 

The recession has taken its toll on the Mather and all Boston Public Schools. Over the past three years, budget cuts have left classrooms in need of materials and supplies – let alone SMART boards and other educational technology.

I'd like you to meet Emily McLaughlin
Emily is entering her 5th year as a kindergarten teacher at the Mather.   Something she highly values about the Mather is how it celebrates diversity.   Ms. McLaughlin stated, “Since I began at the Mather I have learned so much about different races, cultures and traditions.  I love the cultural celebrations, which gives all of our children the opportunity to celebration their diverse heritages.”  Something that really impresses her about her students is how they are “extra curious and are not scared to speak up when they don’t understand something”.   Her classroom is lacking basic art supplies such as construction paper, crayons, pencils, play dough and clay – all of which are crucial to the early skills development in kindergarten.   Her ideal classroom would also have child appropriate furniture, modern computers and a listening center.  

Here’s how you can help:

• Make a tax-deductible donation today.
• Encourage your friends and family to make a donation.
• Sign up to volunteer by contacting Principal Cox at ecox@boston.k12.ma.us.

I hope you can help me raise the funds to bridge the gap in funding in Emily McLaughlin's class. Any contributions will help. Thank you.